The present invention relates generally to the field of client-server computing, and more particularly to a method and system for efficiently and securely distributing software, or client bits, to computers in a network.
A client computer connected to a network, such as a local area network, wide area network, an intranet, or the Internet, can download digital information from server computers. Client application software typically accepts commands from a user and obtains data and services by sending requests to server applications running on the server computers. Currently, there are several ways to install application software (sometimes known as xe2x80x9cclient bitsxe2x80x9d) onto client machines. For example, browsers running on client machines typically have mechanisms for downloading installation packages (such as ActiveX controls or Java Applets) from the World Wide Web. Those approaches bring several limitations with them. For example, browsers have proprietary installation packages that can be downloaded and installed on the user""s machine. The browsers also have their own way of verifying code, and there is not one lightweight signing/verification mechanism that works for all browsers. The user is confronted with security issues (e.g., warnings and permission dialogs) before the download of each software item. In many cases, the user will not grant permission for the installation to take place because the user is unsure about the source (and, consequently, the authenticity and the integrity) of the software. To update the client bits, the user would have to know about available updates and go to a download site to get the update. That is, the update is not made automatically as soon as new client bits are available. Creating an installation package that works with any browser brings with it a large overhead, resulting in an increase in download size and download time. Moreover, international users would have to know about localized versions of the software to install it.
In sum, with the proliferation of computers into homes and businesses throughout the world, and with the rapid pace of innovation of new and updated versions of application software, there has emerged a need for an efficient, secure mechanism to provide new and updated application code, or client bits, to users.
The present invention provides a computer network-based method for managing the distribution of application software to a client computer. Generally, the method comprises installing on the client a software versioning engine that is associated with one or more applications packages. By prior agreement, when any of the associated applications is initiated, the application will first launch the versioning engine. The versioning engine determines whether the current version of the associated application is installed on the client. If the version installed on the client is not current, the versioning engine determines (e.g., by asking the user) whether or not to update the code on the client. If an update is desired, the versioning engine updates the client bits by, for example, causing a server to download the current version of the application code to the client.
In a presently preferred implementation, the versioning engine comprises a first, lightweight component that is distributed to client computers as part of, or in conjunction with, one or more associated applications. The lightweight component functions as a bootstrap to detect the presence, or lack thereof, of a second component of the versioning enginexe2x80x94a core install and upgrade component. If the second component is not present on the client machine, or if it is not current, the current version of the second component is downloaded from a server to the client. The second component, the core install and upgrade component, determines whether the version of the associated application installed on the client machine is current and, if not, it requests updated code from the server. A third component of the versioning engine is a resource and language component that functions to verify that the user interface employed by the versioning engine is appropriate for the current language setting of the client before the user interface associated with the versioning engine is presented to the user.
The present invention is suitable for use in connection with any type of computer network comprising at least one server and one or more clients. Thus, the invention may be employed to manage the distribution of client bits over a local area network, wide area network, intranet, or the Internet.
These and other features of the present invention are described in greater detail below.